A Cecil B DeMille romantic comedy might not seem an obvious choice for the second in the series of the Birds Eye View Film Festival Sounds and Silents. The strand celebrates women in film and in jazz playing along with film and, rightly or wrongly, DeMille is perhaps more thought of as an exploiter rather than promoter of women. But as the programme notes pointed out there were a number of key female collaborators for Mr DeMille beyond the two master comics we saw on screen (more on Bebe and Gloria in a mo’…).
Anne Bauchens edited all of his films for over forty years
and here, as in his other silents, her expertise is evident in smooth
transitions and state of the art story pacing. The stunning gowns were designed
by Natasha Rambova who went on to work on Nazimova’s Salome – and her fashions are very much the co-star of this film –
as my wife said: if only it was in colour!
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| Bebe Daniels and Gloria Swanson |
The script was written by Sada Louise Cowan and Olga
Printzlau, for-knowledge of which helps to off-set any modern sexual-political
misgivings to an extent with their witty script detailing how the marriage
contract can make the heart go duller… if both
parties are not careful.
Gloria Swanson’s star power tends to further shift any
un-even-handedness: she’s the story fulcrum and the character we care most
about and events tend to unfold at her pace. Why change your wife? She’s Gloria Swanson you fool!
As if that wasn’t enough, the alpha male DeMille’s work was
further feminized by the live score provided by British jazz ace Niki King
who’s cleverly composed song-track gave sympathetic voice to Swanson in
particular. We knew who Niki was rooting for!
Aided by a band on organ, harp, double bass and drums, Ms
King’s music made this one of the most syncopated and swinging silent evenings
I’ve enjoyed at the BFI reflecting and reinforcing the relentless pace of the
film. Maybe jazz is getting like Shakespeare? You need to be an exceptionally
fluent player to really make it ring true to modern ears: the form is “old” but
the meaning, the message and the passion is timeless. Niki King achieved this
and in doing so helped to un-wrap a very fresh silent film for the audience.
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| Bebe Daniels and Thomas Meighan say cheers! |
Why Change Your Wife?
was one of a series of sex-comedies DeMille made around the turn of the
twenties and it dealt with marriage in a very swinging, pre-code way… he always
did get away with what he could in this area of human fantasy.
Gloria Swanson is Mrs Beth Gordon who is all too comfortably
married to husband Robert (Thomas Meighan). They’re inability to co-ordinate
their morning bathroom routines reflect their divergent cultural and personal
interests. Beth throws herself into middle-brow improving books and listens to
serious classical music whilst Bob just wants to tango and to go to the
follies… there’s a slight gender inversion here: he’s the jazz baby?!
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| Bob gets with the beat |
Robert decides to spice things up and goes to buy some racy
evening wear for his wife. The clothes are modelled by young Sally Clark (Bebe
Daniels) who has longed to run her fingers through his masculine curly hair
since she was a teen. She makes a play by sexing up the clothes, draping them
as low as she can and adding a pint of perfume and a heart to her bare
shoulder… it doesn’t go un-noticed.
I’d always associated Daniels with talkies – especially 42nd Street – but was
surprised to find that she’d been an early comedy partner for Harold Lloyd in a
number of his post-war shorts. That experience certainly holds her in good
stead here and she is a match for Swanson in looks and timing: a comedy
cat-fight is guaranteed.
Beth doesn’t like the clothes… why should she be forced into
revealing her body just for male gratification? She stays at home to listen to
her favourite violinist Radinioff (Theodore Kosloff) leaving Robert with no one
to go to the show with… Sally’s arrival with a missing part of the dress prompts
him to extend the invitation.
Sally and Robert enjoy the show and back at her flat –
blimey they moved quickly in 1920 – Robert find out that they share the same
record collection and interests (dancing… kissing…). It’s a late night and by
the time he gets home it’s nearly two o’clock and, waking Beth up, she quickly
rumbles him and divorce is immediately on the cards.
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| Robert steps over the mark... |
So far so rom-com and so it goes as the marital twists and
turns involving the lead characters follow their course as Beth decides that
maybe she should show off more of her assets whilst new wife Sally even gets
tangled up with the surprisingly butch Radinioff as emotional loyalties ebb and
flow… towards a conclusion I won’t give away.
Why Change Your Wife?
– supercharged by Niki King’s music – felt fresh, smart and knowing… these are
very modern concerns handled with a smooth economy. Bebe Daniels’ naturalistic
and expressive timing threatens to steal the show but Gloria Swanson is that
perfect silent powerhouse and even over-matched in stature and looks your eyes
are inevitably drawn to her intensity and direct communication. Someone who
“spoke” straight to the watcher and who never takes our attentiveness for
granted.
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| Rumbled |
As for Ms King, her jazz adds a lot of modern flavouring to what
could be otherwise well-worn swing. Pitch perfect and powerful she was a
one-woman Greek chorus carefully matching words to the specific meanings of
music and mood. I shall certainly be tracking her down to Ronnie Scott's for
more.
Why Change Your Wife?
is available on import DVD from Amazon whilst you can find Niki King’s music
there as well as digital retailers such as eMusic. Niki's website is to be found here.
More information about the Birds Eye View Film Festival and
Sounds and Silents is to be found here: they’ve given me renewed faith in Mr
DeMille!
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| Beth's change of style had all the boys interested... |
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